After a few weeks off due to the Holidays and a lack of rated games (not to mention a trip to CES in Las Vegas), we are back with a whole messload of games that the ESRB posted in the first 10 days of 2008. This was an interesting couple of weeks, as the PC dominated and the Next-Gen systems FINALLY came out of hibernation with quite a few titles. Nintendo also pumped out some good games for both the Wii and DS, but still has a steady supply of drivel. We finally saw a few titles rated that have been flying under the radar pop to the surface. All in all, a good couple of weeks if you are a gamer looking toward the immediate future.

This week(s) were dominated by PC games, with over 43 rated out of 102. It seems that the digital download services and PC packing of the Tom Clancy series by Encore USA is bolstering the games getting rated or re-rated. There were the usual casual games and card games as well, so I don’t foresee the PC ratings to go down anytime soon.

Nintendo still seems to have lost a bit of steam, as the Wii and DS were beaten out by the PC for top honors, and once again have Sony nipping at their heels. It was refreshing to see some quality titles for the Wii getting rated and a handful from the DS. However, the same junk I have been bitching about for awhile now made a huge comeback on the DS. At some point I imagine people will wise up and quit buying the crap, which would force Nintendo to focus on getting better quality games on the popular handheld. It will be interesting to see if Nintendo will continue to pump out titles for DS and Wii at such a high rate or if the other systems will close the gap and keep up, albeit with higher quality titles.

The next-gen system(s) spit out a whole bunch of new games with the Xbox 360 (14) and the Playstation 3 (9) having a total of 23 rated games. It wasn’t just Arcade and casual titles though, as Dark Sector, the latest MLB 2K8, FIFA Street 3, Dynasty Warriors 6, LOST, Dark Sector and NFL Tour were all rated for both platforms. There were quite a few retail titles that were rated for one or the other, such as MLB 08 the Show for the Playstation 3. The Xbox 360 though, had Supreme Commander, Warhammer: Battle March, Jumper Griffin’s Story and Dark Messiah: Might and Magic Elements. This is quite a decent haul for those of us that have been feeling lonely with the lack of releases during the Holidays.

The ESRB ratings held several surprises and quite a few games I haven’t heard much buzz on lately for the Xbox 360. Games rated include TiQal, Shred Nebula, Shotest Shogi and Jumper Griffin’s Story, all of which are Xbox Live Arcade titles except Jumper Griffin, which is based off the upcoming Jumper movie. The PS3 looks to be getting Rayman and Street Fighter Alpha to the Playstation Network before long. Not a bad way to start off 2008, so let’s just hope that there is a steady stream of new titles getting rated all year long.





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